annac Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've had the girls for nearly a year with no problems at all, but for the last two weeks it's been one thing after another! On Sunday Shannon (around 18months old) lay an odd egg. It was "normal", but the point had... a tail? Like a long thin bit of soft floppy shell - like someone had tried to stick an elephants trunk on it! Anyway, she seemed ok so I thought nothing of it really. Yesterday I came home from work to a nightmare. Shannon was bleeding badly from her vent. The others had clearly been after her - all her feathers drectly under her vent had gone. She was very subdued and feeling very sorry for herself. We put her in isolation overnight (after frantically trying to borrow a dog crate!) and sectioned off a bit of the enclosure for her. This morning there was an odd, long stringy bit of.. tissue?... Slimey eww, like a thick bloody worm.. in the dog crate, so she must have passed it. Would this be a lash? I cleaned her up, and kept her seperate today while we were out. Tonight she sems a lot brighter Her rear is still red and sore, but there is no fresh blood - a bit of dried blood and scabs. I've let her out to free range with the others and they're not bothering her. However, I'm not sure wether to let her back in the house tonight with the other, or keep her isolated for one more night (and back in her own section tomorrow day). The last thing I want is for her to produce more blood and get picked on overnight, but is this likely? The (covered) dog crate seems a bit lonely and, although it's in the enclose with the electric fence on, I'm a little worried about how secure it is.... can't bring her in the house as 2 dogs would love to eat her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I had a chicken with a swollen bleeding vent, I separated her in the same way, the next morning the redness had gone but the lumpy scabs remained and it was about 4 days before she looked back to normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Hello, I'd wash it all off now and spray with purple spray and do a trial to see how the others react to the sores. If they look at it I would seperate her again. When mine had a polyp removed and the wound opened, I used purple spray, kept it clean and the others didn't touch it. The odd eggs with funny shapes and stalks are common here from one of mine. It's membrane that gets calcified and goodness knows what is going on. I had one that looked like an acorn in a cup with stalk and all a few days ago. The thing I would advise you to watch out for is when they are laying these dodgy eggs the others like to run off with them and can sense when she is going to lay one so they are ultra interested in her rear. When that happens I pop her in the cube and shut the door or shut others out of the run. If it breaks and she gets the white on her they will taste her feathers so I try and keep her clean. Little pains aren't they. Love em all really. Anyway hope she behaves now and stops laying daft eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I'd clean her up and apply purple spray too. If she is happy and the others aren't bothering her I'd put her back with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annac Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Thanks for the replies. I don't have any purple spray (ordered it yesterday so should be here soon!)... although I have been cleaning her up morning and evening since Monday night. Last night I put Shannon in the dog crate again, jut in case, and have left her in her section off bit of run while I'm at work today. She seems better - bum was a bit mucky this morning, but no more blood or odd stringy bits form her. The plan tonight, assuming all is still ok, is to let her out to free range with the others and let her go to bed with them if they're all ok. One odd thing... one of my other 18month old girls, Alesha, had a problem this morning. Looked like she'd tried to lay a soft egg, but it had got squished on the way out and the shell was stuck half in and half out. Obviously I removed it, but she still didn't seem quite right - standing still a lot with her feathers ruffled up... We've had an infestation of red mite over the weekend. I think I've nuked them all, but could they be responsible for these weird egg and vent problems? It's really strange as I've had no worries at all with the girls for the last year, and in the last 2 weeks it's like everything is going wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 The red mite will have sapped their strength a little, so the events may be connected because of that. Keep on top of the red mite and perhaps give them a tonic such ad lifeguard to boost them a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
